West Yorkshire police officer found hanged ‘could not live’ with indecent images arrest

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Published:16:17Tuesday 08 November 2016

A POLICE officer found dead the day after he was arrested over an allegation of having indecent images on his computer left a note saying he “could not live with it” an inquest jury was told.

The body of Police Constable Kevin Ellis, of Whitwood, Castleford, was found suspended from a tree in the grounds of his former school – Rodillian Academy at Lofthouse – in April 2013.

The 33-year-old had been arrested at 1.20pm on April 17 2013 over an allegation involving indecent images on a computer, Wakefield Coroner’s Court heard.

After being released from custody bailed to his parents’ home he was given a lift by a fellow officer, but got out of the car at 8.40pm saying he wanted to walk the rest of the way to clear his head.

The divorced father-of-two’s body was found just before 1pm on April 18.

West Yorkshire Coroner David Hinchliff gave details of part of the note to the jury, saying: “In the note he left, he, himself, gave no reason.

“But he used the word taint and his arrest and the fact that he could not live with it and didn’t want the matter to affect his children’s lives.”

The note also said: “I hold nobody responsible for this. Please ensure Sergeant Norgate (the custody officer) and the other sergeant are not held accountable. They were fantastic with me.”

The inquest heard after PC Ellis had been dropped off on the way to his parents he had visited Premier Stores on Main Street, East Ardsley, where he bought two bottles of Lambrini and a notebook. PC Ellis’s retired police officer father Peter Ellis has told the jury that he and his wife had no idea that their son had even been arrested or bailed to stay at their house.

Peter Ellis, has said that had he been informed of his son’s arrest, he would have picked up his son from the police station.

PC Ellis could not be bailed to his own address for fear he could be in contact with children, the inquest heard.

When he was arrested he did not tell his partner what he was being arrested for and she did not know at that point why he had been arrested.

The inquest heard that, as a matter of procedure and safeguarding, a bail address in an issue of indecent images should have been checked in order to confirm there were no children in danger at the address.

Mr Hinchliff said: “As far as anybody was aware the girl in the image could have been somebody known to Kevin Ellis or could have been anybody from across the world.”

It has since been discovered the image was a previous internet download of a girl, the hearing was told.